Most consumer and business transactions require transfer of credit card or debit card information. However, electronic transfer—e.g., by e-mail or via an Internet portal—of credit card or debit card information involve well-known security risks. One method of mitigating such risks is to consummate transactions over the phone and transfer the credit card or debit card information using interpersonal communication. When using interpersonal communication to purchase an object from a vendor, a buyer must inform the vendor as to his intended purchase, retrieve his or her credit card from his or her wallet and then verbally communicate the information printed and/or embossed on the credit card to the vendor.
For the visually-impaired, however, retrieving a credit card or debit card and relatively quickly and accurately reading the information written on the card may be difficult. These actions may be further complicated in the context of a telephonic purchase. Furthermore, sub-optimal environmental conditions such as poor light conditions or, in an external setting, poor weather conditions may adversely affect the ability of the visually-impaired purchaser to retrieve the necessary information.
It would be desirable to provide a device that enables a user to quickly and easily read the information on an EMV-technology-equipped credit card or a debit card (referred to herein, collectively, as a “smart card”).
It would be further desirable to provide a device that mitigates sub-optimal environmental conditions that may adversely affect the ability of a user to read debit and/or credit card information.